Iran Calls for Punishment of Israeli Criminals over Gaza War

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kana’ani urged the international community to show a strong and deterrent response to the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and won’t allow the international mechanisms, laws and regulations to be discredited.

Writing in a post on his X account on Friday, the Iranian diplomat censured the inaction of the international community towards war crimes committed by Israel against civilians in the besieged enclave.

“Rise up for the world peace and security in the face of the Zionist criminals and their supporters and defend the oppressed Palestinians in Gaza,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kana’ani said.

He warned against the lack of a firm reaction by the international community, including world organizations, governments, and nations, to the crimes of Israel over the past three weeks.

The absence of severe global reaction to all the horrible crimes perpetrated by the Zionists in Gaza and allowing the war criminals and their obvious supporters go unpunished would be tantamount to discrediting international mechanisms, rights, laws and regulations, the spokesperson emphasized.

“Lack of a preventive and regretful measure and the Zionists’ impunity for their war crimes in Gaza mean that justice seekers, freedom seeking and the advocates of international peace and security have compromised and surrendered to the war criminals and villains,” he added.

On October 7, Hamas launched a multi-pronged surprise military operation via land, sea and air. The group announced it was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians. The attacks have so far killed more than 1,400 and injured over 5,000, according to Israeli officials. Hamas also announced it is holding between at least 200 and 250 hostages.

Following the multi-front attack by Hamas, Israel carried out heavy bombardment across the Gaza Strip, killing more than 7,000 Palestinians, including at least 3,000 children and over 1,700 women, and wounding over 18,000 others, and levelling entire neighbourhoods.

Tel Aviv has ordered a “complete siege” of Gaza, saying it would halt its supply of electricity, food, water and fuel. Israel’s military has also ordered 1.1 million people living in Northern Gaza to evacuate their homes, amid signs it is set to ramp up its offensive.

The bombing, as well as enforced displacement orders by the Israeli army, has pushed 1.5 million people out of their homes.

The Gaza Health Ministry has confirmed that the healthcare system in the besieged territory has “totally collapsed due to the Israeli war”.

The UN agencies have warned that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is “catastrophic”, calling for more international help as conditions deteriorate in the densely populated besieged enclave.

Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on Earth, where some 2 million people live in an area of 140 square miles. It has been almost completely cut off from the rest of the world for nearly 17 years. More than half of its population lives in poverty and is food insecure, with nearly 80% of its population relying on humanitarian assistance.

Tehran says the history of the apartheid regime is full of assassinations, massacre, torture and killing of Palestinian kids, and described Tel Aviv regime’s atrocities and massacre of Palestinian women and children as indicative of the destitute of Zionists. Iranian officials say the Tel Aviv regime has been struggling for more than 70 years to exit its identity crisis which has been mixed with genocide, plunder, forced displacement and scores of other inhumane moves.